An Autumn Breeze
by Rai Dean Con
Summary: Rosemary Parks has never had an easy life. Even after she died. See what happens when a miracle brings Rosemary back from the dead but also leaves behind a nasty curse. Demented. Suspensful. Page-turner. Will be long so please be patient. Review! :D
1. Chapter 1

{ I haven't written in a while, so let me know what you think. I'm a little out of practice but I believe it's good. Sorry for any fluency issues or spelling mistakes. I typed this up when I was half asleep. I will correct it some time later but for now I'm too lazy. Enjoy. }

An Autumn Breeze...

**PART ONE: THE ACCIDENT**

Chapter One

An autumn breeze is a sneaky thing. It allows you to falsely believe there might be a whisper of warmth in it's shiver of movement. That perhaps it might waft up a delicious smell, something like fresh bread. As it's nearly imperceptible current eerily drafts toward you, you hope that unlike the colder winter breezes to come in the following months, this one might splash you with just a hint of warmth and soul. But no. It only clutches you in it's cold, eerie grasp. Almost like fingers, clawing at your skin. Of course, the immediate reaction is to cover your skin and smother the frigid grasp. But what if the cold won't go away... What then?

And what more of autumn than not the smells of the season? Fresh bread being made. Fruits and vegetables by the plenty. And not only foods. The smell of an oak tree as all of it's once vibrant green leaves crinkle and fade to a cascade of shivering hues of browns, reds, and yellows. These colors paint the world in an essence of elegance with ease. The simplicity of these small touches on the scenery make the world come to a calm and seem to be more friendly and welcoming than ever.

And among these faded yet tasteful colors in a small town called Cherry Wood, was none other than miss Rosemary Parks. She was a fair-skinned young woman of 17. She had very light red hair that looked nearly orange in most light, and sparkling green eyes that could take your breath away. She was, by far, the prettiest woman in all of the surrounding cities. But gorgeous as she was, she was also modest, selfless, and extremely caring. She was always around to lend a helping hand to someone who needed it, no matter who they might be. She didn't judge people by their skin tone, their ethnicity, or by how they dressed. No. She judged people on character and their values. Though she might have not entirely liked a person, she never had a bad word to say about them. Most people in the town liked her, and she got along well with just about everyone. She was quiet, and in a town like Cherry Wood, that was well respected.

However, on this day in late November, she happened to be walking down the sidewalk in her signature black petticoat, when a truck came barreling down the avenue. The driver of the truck was a tall, dark-skinned man with even darker hair. He was in a rush to get to the shipping plant downtown where he worked. He didn't see miss Parks when he tried to make a sharp turn just as Rosemary was arriving at the corner to cross the street. The driver of the truck slammed on his breaks, but was too late as his Chevy barreled into miss Parks. And then, for Rosemary, everything went black...

3 Weeks Earlier

Miss Rosemary Judith Parks, age 17, awoke early on this fine November day. November 3rd to be exact. She rose slowly from her bed, which was draped in a thick quilt her grandmother had made for her. The quilt was decorated with an assortment of patches, with some of the patches bearing the shapes of pumpkins, others oak leaves, and still others with little apples. The quilt was nothing more than a seasonal thing. Miss Rosemary had a quilt for nearly every season. All except for summer, when she had no need of a thick quilt, and simply slept under a thin red blanket and her sheets. Each of these quilts had been made by her grandmother, Lucile Parks. Lucile had a quilt shop downtown in Cherry Wood, and often made quilts for the homeless and needy. Every year, she would sew three large ones in winter, and take them to the children's orphanage in a neighboring town of Rockville. Her skills were widely admired, and she was considered to be the best seamstress in five neighboring counties.

Rosemary often expressed her love of her grandmother, and spent a lot of her spare time with her. She often said that her grandmother was more like a mother to her than her own mom had been. You see, Rosemary's mother abandoned her when she was 16 and left her with her twin, 13-year-old younger brothers, Mitchel and Michael. Soon after she left, the boys both became very sick. The doctor diagnosed them with Swine Flu, and told Rosemary that neither of them would likely recover. That was when they had moved in with their uncle, (for their father died when the twins were both very young), and Rosemary had quit her part-time job to take care of them. The boys shared a room in the back of the house. It was well insulated and kept out the cold. Rosemary sat at their bedsides for days on end and read to them, sang to them, fed them, and cried with them. She watched over them while they slept, and barely slept herself. She quit school while taking care of the boys even though she knew she'd have to make up for it when the time came. She didn't care. These were her brothers, and they needed her.

They fought the sickness for 4 long months of harsh winter, (the harshest they'd had in at least 25 years, some of the elder women of the community had said), which seemed to match the mood in the Parks house quite well. Despite her best efforts, and the efforts of the family's doctor, Mitchel died on March 13th, 2007, at the age of 13. His brother, Michael, had survived the winter and had made a miracle of a recovery in the month after his brother's death.

The death of a Parks boy had depressed the entire community. The Parks were a well-respected and much-loved family of Cherry Wood. Their ancestors in fact had been some of the first to help build the town, and make a civilization rise from the dirt on which they now stood. News of the tragedy spread quickly, and soon cards and flowers were arriving on their uncle's doorstep. More than once, the elder women of the community would show up at their door with a home-cooked meal completely prepared and ready for eating. The community did their best to help the Parks family through the rough first months after Mitchel's death. This made Rosemary only appreciate this quaint little town more and more. Eventually, Rosemary went back to work, and her and Michael went back to school. Everything seemed to go back to normal. Everyone quieted down about Mitchel's death, and no one ever ventured into that back room again...

But now, nearly 8 months after Mitchel's death, Rosemary found herself thinking of that horrible day in early March. How he'd simply closed his eyes, and stopped breathing. It had been something of a peaceful death. He'd suffered illness, but she did not believe he suffered pain. And that day, as he took his final breath, he muttered something barely able to be heard as a mumble. Rosemary had not been able to comprehend it, but she knew he'd spoke. Perhaps that's what triggered her curiosity this morning. She wondered, as but only a single tear fell from her eye, what he'd said. What he'd spoke in his last, dying breath. What he'd wanted her to hear, but she hadn't. And this thought sprung more tears. He'd wanted to tell her something, but she'd been too busy caught up in her own thoughts to hear him. She'd often wondered what he'd said, and perhaps if Michael had heard it. She'd wanted to ask her surviving younger brother about it, to see if he knew, but it was too soon, too early to ask. Michael had been in something of a delicate state ever since Mitchel's death. The doctor said it was perhaps because he'd been so sick, and stayed sick. But Rosemary knew that wasn't the case. She knew that he was strong enough to make a full recovery from the illness. She was sure that only emotional scars remained. What she assumed was the cause of his delicacy, was the fear. The fear, that he'd been just as sick as Mitchel. The fear, and the knowing that it could have just as easily been him.

And so, she sat and wept on this early November day. She wept until she was sure she could cry no more, and she looked out of her window in her second story, attic of a room. The clouds were what she saw. Dark and low hanging, as if the memory of Mitchel's death had made them sad too. And, just as Rosemary looked up, they began to weep as well. They cried soft droplets of rain to the ground where they puddled and formed small streams through the grass and across sidewalks and down roads. The clouds cried and thunder rumbled like sobs that choked their airy throats. No lightning struck, for their was to be no light whatsoever on this day. The clouds blocked out the sun, and they seemed to want to keep it that way.

Slowly, slowly Rosemary stood from where she had collapsed on the floor when the memories had taken her past her breaking point. She slowly forced her feet to move, to take her down the stairs. She grabbed her coat from the hook by the door, wrapped it around herself, and stepped onto the back porch.

A thin patch of cement lead from the porch steps to the gravel alley behind the house. It's cold tongue licked out through the grass on either side and served as a sidewalk that lead through the large backyard of the Parks house. The back porch, much like the front, was covered by an overhanging set of wood and shingles. It kept the place dry and was held up by white pillars. To the left side of the sidewalk was a small "forest". It consisted of perhaps forty or fifty trees that Rosemary had played in when she and the boys were little. Most were lilac trees, some birch, a few pine, and a tall, old oak tree. From a branch on the oak tree hung an old tire swing. It had hung their for as long as Rosemary could remember. And somewhere, buried deep in the heart of this small "forest" lie a dog named Bolt. He'd been a German Shepard, and the only dog their uncle had ever owned. He'd died before the boys were born, but Rosemary remembered him vaguely. She often ventured out to his resting place where he'd been buried, and talked to him. From the few  
>fond memories she had of him, she remembered always running her fingers through his golden-brown fur and kissing his nose. She sometimes asked her uncle why he'd never gotten a dog to replace Bolt, and he would simply smile, tears glittering somewhere just behind his eyes, and tell her that, "Bolt is irreplaceable."<p>

On this cold, rainy November morning, rain sparkled across the sidewalk, and splashed as Rosemary walked down the cement path. It was cold, and Rosemary hadn't had any sense to put on shoes, but she walked despite the tingling feeling the bitter cold was leaving on her toes. As she walked, as she had many times in the past, she fell calm to the routine of this short journey. She'd walk on the cement for the first twenty or thirty yards, past the small meadow of grass in front of the trees, and then, venture off of the path. She'd walk through the forest of trees and smell the lilacs. By now, they'd all turned yellow and mostly all fallen from their branches, but she could still smell them, though she wasn't sure if it was simply by memory alone. She walked probably another twenty yards towards the heart of the forest. There, standing amidst the trees, mud, and fallen leaves, under the thick oak tree that stood in the center of the forest, was a small wooden cross. It was painted white and on it hung a choker chain, and on one of the metal loops of the collar was a dog tag that read "Bolt". This is where her short journey ended.

Rosemary collapsed in the mud, which splashed up around her as she fell to her knees. The pants of her PJ bottoms were now drenched in brown and her cheeks were stained with tears. She clutched the coat to herself and wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to smother the cold that nipped at her skin. But that did not help. The cold was inside of her. Pulsing through her chest with every beat of her heart. She sat, sobbing for a while. Finally, she dried her eyes as best she could and lifted out a hand to touch the collar on the cross. She'd often talked to Bolt when she needed guidance. He would always listen. He was good at that, she could somehow feel. When she could clear her throat of the sob that was hanging just behind her tongue, she tried to speak. At first, no words would come. Then, she took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

"Why Bolt? Why? Why does this world have to be such a cruel place? Why do bad things happen to good people? Can't we all just live until we're ninety and be happy old people in rocking chairs watching the sun set over games of chess? Can't we all live happy lives and have good fortune and watch the sun smile down on us? Why does it always have to be so painful? Can't we just be happy?" She spoke quietly to the dog as she clutched the collar. She thought painfully of Mitchel, and her grandfather, whom had died only months before the boys became sick. She compared the two. Her grandfather had been nearly seventy, where as Mitch had been barely even thirteen! It just wasn't fair. She was happy her grandfather had lived a long life, but why should such a young boy be taken? Perhaps it was God's will, but it didn't change the fact that it wasn't fair... "It's not fair."

"No. It's not." A voice spoke behind her. Startled, she turned around to see her neighbor, Austin Fellon. He was wearing a thick black rain coat and carrying an umbrella. His blue eyes sparkled down at her but his expression was of that of someone who had seen enough of his own sorrow, and was in a painful agreement with her. His lips formed a hard line and his brows furrowed. His thin nose complimented his expression and his emotions played on his face. Still, in this concerned state, he looked as gorgeous as ever. Not that this was a thought of Rosemary's at the time of course. She looked up at him and more tears threatened to fall. She looked away so he wouldn't see them slip from her eyes. She let go of the collar and he crouched beside her, a gloved hand on her back. "The world isn't fair." He spoke carefully, as to not upset her. "But, it doesn't change the fact that it is where we live, and we must struggle through the bad to find happiness. Things may seem bad now, but I promise they will get better real soon." At this point, she turned and looked at him.

"Really?" She asked, almost hopefully. "Are you sure?"

He smiled when she asked this. "Well, no. I'm not completely certain, but I do know," He said as he stood up and offered her a gloved hand to help her to her feet. "that if you stay out here much longer, you'll catch a cold. And we can't have that now can we?"

She took his hand and gradually stood. She tried to smile back but she barely managed to not burst into tears again. _He's a really great person._ She thought. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she shiveredand led her back to the house...

{Tell me what you thought!}


	2. Chapter 2

{Here is the second chapter. I hope you enjoy it!}

An Autumn Breeze...

Chapter Two

Once again inside, Rosemary sat at the bar that split the Park's large, tastefully decorated kitchen into two sections. To the left of the bar was the dining area where sat a large oak table, exquisitely carved and decorated with lions at the feet of the table legs. Encircling the rectangular table was an orchestra of chairs, made of the same tasteful oak wood as the table but instead with lions feet curved out of the bottom of the chair legs and a lion's head was painted on the back of the chair. The seats and backs were topped with scarlet, velvet cushions with yellow beaded trim. Draping over the table was a thick table cloth made of the same velvet as the cushions. This, of course, was taken off whenever the family actually ate, and was simply for decoration. Along with the elegant table, a mahogany bookcase sat catty-cornered in the left corner of the room. A series of paintings and photos dotted the wall on the North end of the dining room, and a double sliding door took up much of the South wall of the room. Thick burgundy drapes fell over the doors and blocked out most of the light. This portion of the kitchen was lit by candles and a large silver chandelier overhead. The walls were a dark burgundy, and the floor was a thick cherry shipped in from somewhere overseas. By far, the dining area of the kitchen was the most respected room in all of the Park's house.

To the left of the bar was the more practical side of this large kitchen. It contained the usual kitchen appliances. Refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, sink, and so on. There was lots of counter space, as the counter tops were made of polished obsidian and the cabinets and drawers were all natural mahogany wood. The island in the center of this practical kitchen space housed the sink and the cabinets below that held cleaning supplies. The backwards "L" shape of the rest of the cabinets held silverware and plates and whatnot. The bar area connected with the long part of the "L" shape, forming an upside down "U".

Practical as it was, it was also very elegant. It had stone flooring composed of mostly limestone and obsidian but it gave you that rocky feeling and seemed to transform the room into a more elegant place. The kitchen itself was a large, exquisite room, and a great place to come to relax, so it was only natural that this is where Rosemary came to try and calm down.

She sat at the bar on the practical kitchen side with her back to the island. Austin worked silently behind her with only the occasional bump or small clatter of metal, like the sound of pots being tapped against one another. Rosemary couldn't bring herself to look at him. She'd made an utter fool of herself. She'd been so upset, she must have looked so ridiculously helpless. She was sure of it. With her covered in mud and drenched in rain and tears. Her only hope was that he didn't notice she'd been crying and simply thought it to be rain. She knew, somewhere back in the depths of her mind, though, that he was not such a fool to believe something like that. No, Austin was not that kind of ignorant imbecile, like most guys his age.

Rosemary had only lived in her uncle's house for 8 months now, but she'd known Austin since kindergarten. They'd always been good friends, but they were never really close. Not until the boys became sick and Rosemary moved in next door to him. They'd gradually grown closer, but it was a touchy subject when it came to their friendship. Some delicacies in their past kept them at arm's length with each other, but we shall not discuss that now...

After a few moments of waiting, practically holding her breath, Austin sat next to her and offered her a cup of hot chocolate. That same gorgeous smile was plastered to his face, but his eyes held much concern. When she looked up, Rosemary saw that concern in his eyes, and she immediately felt guilty. He'd been so worried about her. She must have given him quite the scare as well. She wouldn't talk, and she was covered in mud. She must have looked like a lunatic! As these thoughts washed over her brain, she saw his smile fade just a tad. _The cup you idiot! Take the cup!_ She thought harshly to herself.

Rosemary lifted her hand to take the cup from his hand and found her fingers twitching and her hand shaking a bit. She drew in a quick breath and summoned herself to stop the shaking, but he'd already noticed. He brought the warm cup to her fingers, and used his free hand to wrap her frostbitten phalanges around the cup. Not letting go of the mug himself, he slowly moved the brim to her lips and helped her tilt it slowly so that the sweet, warm drink slid into her mouth. Her eyes flickered to him as she sipped it slowly and he smiled back at her encouragingly.

After a few good gulps from the cup, he slowly helped her lower the cup to the bar. The whole time she was drinking, his right hand had stayed wrapped around the handle of the mug, and his left had stayed on top of her hand, holding her fingers to the cup. Now that the mug sit steadily again on the counter top, and Rosemary looked a little healthier and stable than before, he withdrew his arms from around her the way that they'd encircled her. Rosemary wished immediately that he hadn't moved. Some part of her longed for his arms around her again. She looked at him and prayed this longing didn't portray through her expression.

He simply smiled at her in that gorgeous way he does, and he sat down on the stool, (one of three) next to her. If he'd seen the longing, he surely didn't react to it. Rosemary sat, wrapped in her own jacket, and his, still shivering, but slowly warming up. Once she felt confident enough to, she parted her lips to try and speak. Out in the yard minutes ago, the most she'd been able to mutter was "Really, are you sure?" and even that was barely even acceptable as a mumble. Now, to try and speak formally with her longing for his touch, with his smile shimmering over her like the golden sun. His blue eyes reminding her of pictures she'd seen on postcards of the ocean, and his natural blonde, straight hair swept over his forehead, barely out of his eyes... It was almost too much...

This was insane. She'd known Austin for nearly 12 years! And now, in this moment, she found it hard to speak to him. Not because of the cold, or the embarrassment. Because she could simply not get over the fact that he looked so dang gorgeous! Had she seen him before? Yes, of course. Really paid attention to his features? Yes, she had. But had she ever seen him like this? Not ever! She wondered absently why only now she noticed all of the little gorgeous features about him. As she looked at him, in his sweatpants and thin white t-shirt (which was what he'd obviously slept in), she saw the tan muscles nearly bulging out of his clothes. His body looked sun-kissed and blessed by the heavens. So perfect... So fit... So...

"Rosy?" He spoke her childhood nickname (that they'd developed in grade school) with such suave, smooth elegance, (tinted with concern), it nearly made her topple over out of her chair. His eyes shimmered with concern and his facial features were pulled into a tight frown.

Immediately, her cheeks burst into a deep shade of scarlet as she looked up from where she was staring at his muscles to peer into his deep blue eyes. She hadn't even realized that she'd been subconsciously gazing at his hunky features. Now she felt even more foolish than before. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak some rational explanation for her odd behavior that was not only embarrassing as well as a little creepy.

"I... Uh... I wasn't..." She closed her eyes, knowing she was doomed, and waited for whatever teasing comment was sure to come.

Much to her surprise, his strong hands grasped either of her arms and stopped her swaying motion, (when she hadn't even realized she was moving). When he spoke, his voice was full of concern, which caused her to pop open her eyes. "Are you OK? Maybe you should lie down." His expression was troubled and he seemed terrified that something bad might happen. "Here." With barely any effort, he picked Rosemary up, bride-style, and was already carrying her up the stairs and laying her on her bed.

The blush that had painted Rosemary's face a brilliant scarlet only a moment before was now a blazing hot flame of embarrassment. Her eyes widened as he began pulling the coats off of her and tucking her under her blankets. She tried to push his hands away but he wouldn't hear of it.

"Don't!" She practically yelled at him. This caused his eyes to widen a bit and his hands to freeze in motion. "I... I mean... I can do this myself..." She continued to blush.

He smiled at her dreamily and spoke quietly with a touch of sympathy. "But this is what friends are for. Isn't it?" He raised one perfect, bushy eyebrow.

She couldn't help but smile back at him. He was Austin after all, the kid she'd played with on the playground and had made mud pies with in the summer after a long rain. Looking back, Rosemary realized that they hadn't just been good friends, they'd been great friends. Now, looking at this man, she could hardly remember the boy that she'd go fishing with or have accompany her to haunted houses when she was too afraid to go alone (even though she was _still_ too afraid to go alone). The blush faded from her cheeks as she thought to herself, _It's only Austin._

"Yes... Yes I guess it is..." She said weakly and yawned loudly.

"Sounds like someone is tired, maybe you should rest." He said, his smile fading a little as he observed her overly-pale skin.

"No!" Her eyes widened suddenly as she grabbed at his hand and pulled him into a sitting position on the bed next to her. "You'll just leave while I'm asleep!"

She clutched to his hand like a small child holding the hand of the nearest adult, afraid of being abandoned or getting lost. He looked down at their hands, and how their fingers fit perfectly in the spaces in between the other's knuckles. When he looked back up, a small hint of a blush had spread pinkness across his cheeks. His smile came down on her ten-fold like a thousand rays of the sun. Slowly, he shook his head as he spoke.

"No. I won't." He leaned over her so their faces were merely inches apart, smoothed away a stray strand of hair, and kissed her forehead. Finally he pulled away so he was again in his sitting position. Now, a deep scarlet hinted both of their faces. "I promise." He spoke the words solemnly, almost like he were vowing to never leave her side.

"O-ok." She stuttered. _Smooth. _She thought to herself. _He just said the sweetest thing you have EVER heard, and you respond with "Ok". God you're an idiot! _

He smiled and told her to close her eyes, (of course she faithfully obeyed), and turned off the lamp. He pulled the blanket up to her ears, whispering "Sweet dreams" as he did so. And then she faded off into a restful sleep, all the time, his fingers never leaving hers...

{Please review of PM me if you have any comments or suggestions. Again, I apologize for any fluency issues of mispellings. I wrote this at 3 in the morning when I hadn't slept in almost 4 days. Anyways... :D }


	3. Chapter 3

{ So here is the third chapter. Like I said before and I will say again, I'm sorry for mispellings and fluency issues. So far, all of this was written when I'd had no sleep for nearly 4 days. Tell me what you think!}

An Autumn Breeze...

Chapter Three

When Rosemary opened her eyes again, Austin sat in a chair beside her bed. His head hung down, as he was obviously asleep. Soft mutters and the occasional sharp breath were the only sounds he made as he tossed through a dream. Rosemary couldn't help but smile at this. It was just like Austin, too afraid to leave her side. Or maybe it was only because he promised... She wasn't sure but she did know that it was incredibly sweet of him. With a small shock as she slowly began to more easily comprehend her surroundings, she looked down to find their fingers still intertwined just as they had been when she'd fallen into that deep, comforting slumber. With a small gasp as she saw their hands still together, she only wished he'd hold her hand like this more often. An innocent request, yes, but still, it made her fluttery inside to find herself longing for it. She'd never wanted any of these things before... Why so suddenly...?

At just that moment, Austin began to stir, and, being the fool she thought herself to be, she laid her head back down and pretended to be asleep. She peered at him through her eyelashes as he slowly aroused himself. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand and then looked down at her, a thick smile spreading across his face. He looked down at their fingers intertwined, but instead of shock or embarrassment, he only smiled wider. Rosemary wished so badly she could know what he was thinking as he looked down at her.

Just as Rosemary was about to pretend to be waking up, he spoke. This sent a jolt down her spine, she thought for sure he knew she was awake, but he didn't say anything about it if he knew. Instead, he spoke as if he were speaking to himself, like she wasn't there, but his speaking was still somehow directed at her.

"Oh Rosy. What have I done? I've tried to stay away and give you you're space since Mitchel's death but... Now I'm finding it harder and harder to be away from you... Today, in the kitchen... The way you looked at me... I thought for sure you saw right through me... And I thought maybe... I thought maybe you were finding it tough to be away as well..." Here, he paused and gave a small, half-hearted laugh. "I almost..." And here he stopped.

There were footsteps on the stairs, that's what had broken his talking. She watched as he turned slightly in the chair to see the person ascending the stairs. Suddenly Michael popped up. He looked very concerned, and was frowning deeply.

"She still hasn't woken up, huh?" He asked gravely.

Through her eyelashes, Rosemary watched Austin shake his head and then he gazed back over at her. "Not yet." He suddenly turned back to a frowning Michael, and Rosemary heard him clear his throat. _He's nervous._ She thought. _He clears his throat like that when he's nervous._ And then he spoke, and that sealed the deal. The way his voice cracked just a tiny bit. She was sure he was nervous. "Y-you didn't hear anything on your way up here, did you?"

She watched as a devious smile spread across Michael's lips. "You mean you practically confessing what we've all known since third grade?" Michael chuckled a little and Rosemary heard Austin take in a sharp breath. Michael crossed the short distance from the doorway to the bed in three good strides. He was only fourteen, but he was already almost taller than Rosemary, who was 5'8. He stood beside Austin who looked back at Rosemary, blushed, but still did not unlace his fingers from hers. He simply shifted them, and this caught Michael's attention. Again he chuckled, but more softly this time. "Don't worry bro." Michael laid a hand on Austin's back. "You're secret is safe with me."

"Thanks." Austin muttered as he gazed lovingly at Rosemary's face.

"No problem. Although, I'm not sure how she wouldn't know by now. It's pretty obvious." At this, Austin blushed a little. Michael patted Austin once on the back and turned and began descending the stairs. He called back over his shoulder, "By the way, I think she's awake."

"What?" Austin called back to Michael, perhaps just a tad too loudly. Taking this as her cue to be 'awakened', Rosemary suddenly opened her eyes, pretended the sudden burst of light bothered her, covered her eyes with her free hand, and moaned. She found she was actually a pretty decent actor. He seemed to believe it.

"What's all this noise?" She asked, trying to sound still half-asleep.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up." With her hand over her eyes, he looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at the the stairway, mentally cursing Michael for scaring him, even though he'd been right. He turned back to Rosemary, who looked down at their hands and tried to recreate that shocked expression she'd had the actual first time she'd seen their fingers still intertwined. He couldn't help but smile and blush a little. "Yeah... I... I didn't want to move away and wake you up." He said as a last resort when he couldn't think of a better excuse. He felt like slamming his head against the wall.

Rosemary smiled at him, in her gorgeous way, and his heart nearly melted. She was sure he was blushing, and she was simply eating it up. She giggled a little and flexed her fingers in the spaces that they were resting in. He blushed a little more at this, and held her hand tighter and gave it a small squeeze. At this they both looked up and their eyes met. At that moment, Rosemary felt whole. Whole like she'd never been before. She smiled, and he opened his mouth to say something when Michael's voice called from downstairs.

"Breakfast!" He called, and they both laughed when his voice cracked.

"Well I'm starving. How about you? You should really eat since you were sick and all. I was really worried. S-so was Michael. I don't think you're uncle is awake yet but we better warn him that you aren't feeling well. How did you sleep? I'm sorry for waking you. Oh yeah, breakfast, come on!" Austin suddenly rambled. Rosemary looked at him, dazed, and actually confused considering he'd spat out all of that information all at once. He simply gave her an apologetic smile and helped her out of bed and downstairs. Only when they reached the table did he finally let go of her hand to pass her the bacon.

Rosemary couldn't help but wonder what he'd meant by all of that 'I'm finding it harder and harder to stay away', stuff. He'd been purposely trying to keep away from her? But it couldn't be because he didn't like her. If that were the case, then he wouldn't have said it was hard for him to stay away. That thought was reassuring but what did Michael mean about Austin, 'confessing what we've all known since third grade'? Rosemary did a recap of the years since then, and she couldn't see Austin avoiding her in any way. Maybe they'd drifted apart in the past couple of years, pretty much since they were in 8th grade they'd gradually grown slowly apart, and it became evident in their freshman year that he didn't want to spend as much time with her. But she'd always figured that was just how it went. You get to high school, you think you're all big and bad, and you sometimes forget about some of your friends. Rosemary had never taken any offense to it, nor had she ever thought much of it. But now, with him bringing it up... _But it wasn't really meant for you to hear... Don't worry about it. He's probably just feeling guilty or something. _She tried to reassure herself. She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts, she didn't even hear Austin trying to ask her a question.

"Rosy? Hello?" Again, when Austin spoke the childhood nickname, it sent a chill up Rosemary's spine. She blinked and looked at him like a clueless animal. He smiled and chuckled softly. "I asked, 'Do you want any oatmeal?'"

Rosemary mentally shook herself and nodded. "Oatmeal would be great actually." She plastered on a smile and tried to look as genuinely happy as she could.

Austin smiled and got up to fix her some 'Apples and Cinnamon.' Michael took the chair across from her and smiled at her. When Austin had his back to them, Michael leaned over the table to talk to Rosemary.

"Did you hear me and Austin talking this morning?" He asked in a hushed tone, obviously not wanting Austin to hear.

She looked up and tried to act surprised. "Uh, no. Why do you ask?" She questioned, trying to stay calm and stuffing a bite of scrambled eggs into her mouth.

"Are you sure you didn't hear? I was pretty sure you were awake." Michael smiled deviously.

Rosemary chewed her bite of eggs, hoping it would spare her some time while she thought of a way to answer. Michael could tell when she was lying. There had to be someway to get around telling him the truth... There had to be... Just as she swallowed, her technique failed to stall quite long enough, she opened her mouth to spit out whatever lame excuse she could think of, a bite of oatmeal was dumped into her mouth by a smiling Austin. She looked up at him as she chewed. It tasted good, and allowed her a bit more time.

"So, what do you think?" Austin asked hopefully.

She finished chewing and swallowed hard. "It's really good." She smiled up at him, still trying to think of a way to answer Michael.

"I'm glad." Austin sat the rest of the bowl of oatmeal down in front of her and then sat in the chair next to her. A sigh of relief nearly escaped Rosemary's lips. With Austin around, she wouldn't have to answer Michael right away. He wouldn't dare ask in front of Austin, and she knew it.

When Austin looked away, Michael mouthed 'later'. And Rosemary nodded. She absently wondered how long 'later' would be, and if she'd have time to come up with a reasonable excuse before then. For now, she was thankful to have Austin by her side, not only because it helped her stall until she had to talk to Michael again. She could also smell the cologne seeping from him and frankly, he smelled wonderful. She wasn't sure why, but she suddenly was thankful that he smelt so good. And not only that, she wanted him by her side. In fact, she was craving his touch. She wanted him to hold her, and whisper sweet things to her and... and... and _kiss_ her!

This thought shocked her. _I want him to KISS me? I, Rosemary Judith Parks, want Austin James Fellon to Kiss Me! What is happening to me?_ She mentally screamed. She wanted to scream to the world too. She wanted to scream, that, in some way she did not understand possible, she was falling in love with the boy next door...

{Chapter Four will be coming soon, I promise. For now, I need some much needed sleep. Love you all. Don't forget to PM me whenever you want. I'll respond as soon as possible. :D }


	4. Chapter 4

{I'm back with a new chapter. This one might not be as long as the others but a lot happens. Enjoy!}

Chapter Four

Rosemary sat in a daze for the next few minutes. They all ate and laughed and talked, but it was like Rosemary's mind was somewhere else. Wandering through a new world that was strange and filled with surprises. She wouldn't exactly say this place was unpleasant, but it wasn't a trip through wonderland either. It was full of strange thoughts. Thoughts of Austin. Thoughts of long walks on the lake shore with him. And watching the sun set over the water. Thoughts of him wrapping his arms around her and whispering sweet poetry into her ear in his hushed, musky voice. Or him quoting Shakespeare and comparing her to a mid summer's day, as Romeo had his lover. Thoughts of him holding her chin in his large, soothing hands. And yes, even those more-than-slightly-embarrassing thoughts of him kissing her.

Oh and how she longed for those fantasies to be real. For some part of her heart, some part of her _soul _wanted him to love her in a way she could imagine no one else feeling for her. She wanted to be his, and in turn, him to be hers. She wanted to be Mrs Fellon someday...

This last thought momentarily shocked her, but she realized it was natural considering she wanted to be "his". That presumably had to entitle marriage at some point, she assumed. And so then the thought wasn't so shocking, or scary to put it one way. No, it was more comforting to know-

She stopped herself short as she woke from that terrible day dream. What was she thinking? _Marrying Austin Fellon? At 17? _Of course not! That simply wasn't possible, not even merely plausible! She suddenly wanted to wash her mind with soap for ever thinking such a thing. Though her intentions had been innocent.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder where these strange thoughts were emerging from. Had she really fallen that quickly into this smitten state? Was she that easily wooed? It was a terribly troubling thought to know that she only that quickly had been having thoughts of marriage. _Maybe I need to lay off the coffee. _She thought as she stared down at the pool of black that swirled in the mug in front of her.

That nagging feeling in your gut, the feeling you get when someone is watching you, began to act up for Rosemary, and she soon realized Austin was watching her from the corner of his eye. Michael babbled on about something to do with baseball try-outs and Austin seemed mildly interested, but she could still feel his eyes on her... Watching her every move...

"Rosemary, what's wrong?" It was her uncle's voice that broke her from her daze. She hadn't even noticed him enter the room. Nor, had she, apparently, noticed that she'd risen from the table in a flash and was now standing, her chair knocked to the floor from the commotion.

Embarrassed, she tried to force her mind to work, but it was difficult. Austin was now fully staring at her, as well as Michael and her uncle. She had to think of something... Quickly...

"B-bathroom." She mumbled and everyone looked at her like she had gone insane. "I... I mean... I need to go to the bathroom." She quickly said, trying to gather her wits and cover that utterly unintelligent remark seconds before. Before anyone could say anything else, she raced down the hallway and out of the kitchen.

"Poor girl." Her uncle spoke as she was out of the room. "Sickness must be messing with her brain." He spoke with concern.

Michael and his uncle went back to eating quickly after Rosemary ran out, leaving only Austin to peer down the hallway where she'd so easily escaped away... He somehow seemed to know, that this, would only be the beginning of some very strange things to come...

9 Days Later

For the eighth time that week, Austin had met Rosemary for lunch. She'd stayed home from school the first few days, due to her uncle's concern for her health, and now, she'd finally gone back to school.

She got into the lunch line and subconsciously lowered her hand down to her jeans pocket, making sure she had lunch money. In the days since she'd first visited Bolt's grave and she'd been rescued by her next door neighbor, Austin Fellon, Rosemary had been acting very differently. Not all of it was her fault. They were simple things. Things you wouldn't notice unless you really knew Rosemary, but to Rosemary herself, they were monumental changes. She'd began to have memory loss, and even a bit of paranoia. She'd began to see things from a cloudier point of view. Everything, except her long-time friend, now recently-discovered crush, Austin Fellon.

She assumed that everyone noticed she'd been acting a little odd. Her uncle, to whom she confined these new attributes (all except her newly developed crush on her childhood friend), said it was probably just an aftermath of the illness to which she'd fallen. She had gone to the doctor and gotten checked out. She hadn't remembered hitting her head or anything, but she had x-rays done anyway. No concussion, no cause for memory-loss, nothing. Absolutely nothing wrong.

Rosemary had tried to brush it off, but, as you might imagine, it was incredibly hard for her to do. Especially when it began to affect her everyday life. First, she couldn't remember her locker combination. Then she forgot what class she had for 3rd period, and then, she forgot what color her car was! After that, she had asked Austin to drive her to school, and walk her to all her classes (which wasn't a large hassle, considering they had every class together). Still, it made Rosemary a little uneasy.

She was pulled out of a mental evaluation (self quizzes she'd began frequently undergoing to make sure she had everything she needed and wasn't forgetting anything vital) by Austin's voice right behind her ear.

"Looking for me?" He laughed and she spun around. Without noticing, she'd been absently scanning the crowd of people in the lunch room. The expression she carried must have been a little unnerving for Austin, because he quickly stopped laughing and gained a more serious stance. He grabbed her arms for probably the hundredth time that week and looked her directly in the eye. "You OK Rosy?" He sported his now well-known catch phrase.

Liquid concern painted his face a pale shade of worry. Rosemary mentally shook herself and tried to fake a smile. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." She said, making an effort to give a reasonable explanation for her odd behavior. Though she'd told her uncle about her newly adopted issues, she'd made an effort to keep it hidden from Michael and Austin. She wanted to keep it that way. "I was just... Lost in thought."

Austin smiled but still looked concerned. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a slight squeeze. She smiled up at him and hugged his waist. They'd always hugged, but in this small hug, Rosemary found herself not wanting to let go. Yet, not wanting to seem clingy, she released him and turned away.

Not that she saw it, but Austin actually frowned when she pulled away, wanting to hold her longer. He looked at Rosemary's slender figure in front of her and wondered what was happening to his poor little Rosy...

11 Days Later

It had been nearly 3 and a half weeks since that day in the forest, and Rosemary was starting to think she was going insane. She could barely remember her own name at times. Everything was foggy and it was really scaring her. Everything... Except Austin. She seemed to only fall more and more in love with the guy. Yet she didn't want anything to move too fast. It was a very confusing and complicated time in her life.

Rosemary sat, dazed as ever, in her science class. They were discussing the lab procedure that needed to be followed for tomorrow's experiment. Rosemary barely heard what was going on. She stared down at the paper in front of her. Not really reading the words but merely acknowledging their existence. She was suddenly pulled from her daze by her lab partner's voice.

"... So what do you think?" He asked.

Rosemary peered at Austin as she tried to recall what he'd been talking about. He frowned, and she realized he'd asked a question. "Sounds good." She cleared her throat and shuffled the paper on her desk, trying to look like she actually knew what she was doing.

A concerned look passed over Austin's features for at least the hundredth time that day. By now, he'd already noticed Rosemary's memory-loss. It would be obvious to anyone who spent more than five minutes with her. She just wasn't acting like herself, and it concerned him.

"Rosy, are you sure you're OK?" He asked, lacing the fingers of his right hand through hers. He gave her hand a tight squeeze so he could be sure she was listening. It seemed like he was having to catch her attention a lot lately. He was starting to become seriously worried that something was definitely wrong.

Rosemary opened her mouth to speak when the bell chimed, signaling the end of that class period. Finally, the long day was over. Rosemary closed her mouth again and unlaced her hand from Austin's. Silently, they both gathered their books and headed to the parking lot. They were silent even in the car for a long time until Rosemary finally realized that they weren't heading towards her house like they did every other day after school.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked Austin suddenly.

They then turned onto a side road that ran up a hill in a mess of spiraling, curving roads. They strode into an area thickly patched with trees and shrubs. The further up they climbed the thicker the forest surrounding them seemed to get. They road for probably another 3 miles in silence before Rosemary asked again, this time, using his voice to reinforce her question.

"Austin, where are you taking me?" Rosemary asked, suddenly wary (as she was already well aware) of the fact that Austin looked completely 'built'. Thick muscles ran up his sun-kissed arms and strong hands gripped the wheel. Rosemary's thoughts spun wild. _Would he try to hurt me? Why is he taking me all this way up here? How far are we from other people? _Were only a few of the suddenly panicked thoughts that wound their way through her brain. _If he tries something... At best I can outrun him... But how far can I run until I trip or he catches up to me? _She tried to calm herself, but her heart was beating fast and her ears began to hum as she felt the blood racing through her.

Suddenly, and with a jolt of force, Austin slammed on the breaks and the car lurched to a stop. His hands were nearly balled into fist while still gripping the wheel. His knuckles were white, and the side of his neck was hinted with red. Probably from anger, Rosemary (frightfully) realized. He turned to her and was surprised to see tears lingering somewhere just behind his soft blue eyes. Agony was pulsing through him as she stared into those now distressed pools of sapphire. He looked like he was about to burst into tears. Rosemary, in that moment, realized he hadn't been gripping the wheel in anger, it was pain. He was desperately clutching to the shattered pieces of his composure, barely willing them to stay together with all of the remaining might inside his miserably fragile body.

She stared at him, sure he'd been mad only seconds ago. But now, seeing him in such a delicate state... It was hard for her to not pull him into her arms and never want to let go. She could see the pain seeping from inside him and it bothered her a great deal. She never wanted to see him like this. Never.

"W-what's wrong?" She forced herself to speak suddenly. She had to know what was wrong. She just had to.

A tear escaped from his eye as he spoke. "W-what's wrong with you, Rosy? D-did I do something?" He asked looking away and tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "Ever since that day in the rain... You've been acting differently... Did I do something?" He turned his face back to her, tears staining both cheeks now. "Did I cause this?"

She responded almost immediately. "Oh no! You did nothing wrong! I just..." That was it. He knew. He knew for sure. She had suspected he did but she couldn't be certain. But now... Now it was too evident to ignore. What was she supposed to tell him? The truth surely wouldn't suffice his need to know what she, herself didn't truly understand. He certainly wouldn't settle for, 'I'm not sure what's wrong'. She couldn't believe that _she _was settling for it! She wanted to help him, to nurse his poor, hurting soul, but she wasn't sure how.

"You just... What? What Rosy? Just tell me what's going on!" He demanded to her.

Rosemary sat, thinking hard, for a long moment. She looked down at her hands, which were folded loosely in her lap. "I'm really not sure what's happening Austin. I'm just not sure." She told him honestly. She couldn't think of anything else to say. She knew it wouldn't keep him content on any terms, but it helped.

It took every ounce of willpower Austin had to not cling onto Rosemary and never want to let go. He wanted to comfort her just as much as she wanted to comfort him. He buried his face in his hands for a long time. When he emerged, his tears had dried and nearly all trace of them had disappeared as well. Only a hint of redness touched the bags under his eyes. He sat up straight in his seat and unbuckled the seat belt.

"What are you doing?" Rosemary asked as he climbed out of the car and walked to the other side. He opened her door and waited for her to climb out. She pulled herself out and looked at him, still waiting for an answer.

"We're going for a walk." He said quietly. He laced his fingers into the spaces between hers, and began pulling her along. She had no choice but to follow. Not that she really minded...

{Well, that's it for now. Chapter Five will be here before you know it, I promise.}


	5. Chapter 5

{Alright, this is the last chapter in PART ONE: THE ACCIDENT. Part one is the shortest but tell me what you think when you're done reading this. Again, sorr for any grammar mistakes and what not. Enjoy!}

Chapter Five

Rosemary followed faithfully behind Austin. Knowing he was distraught was much easier to comprehend then if he were angry. Even a completely distressed Austin would never try to do anything to her. He cared for her, and she didn't believe he'd go against her that easily. She'd been silly to be imagining that this loveable big teddy bear could ever be angry at her. She could help herself no longer as she hugged his arm tightly, still keeping their fingers tightly laced together.

To this motion, he looked down at her, a hint of surprise painted over his expression. They'd been walking for some time now, the car and road both, no longer even barely visible. They were close to the peak of this forested mountain. He figured now was a good of a time as ever for him to tell her what was on his mind. He had to get it off of his chest. He had to.

"Rosy." He said breathlessly to the girl clinging onto his arm.

"Yes, Austin?" She smiled up at him, in that gorgeous way of hers. He couldn't help but blush a little, knowing that smile was only for him.

"Rosy... I've been wondering... You've been acting a little strange lately. Like what I said in the car." To this her smile faded just an ounce of it's radiance. "B-but." He quickly added, seeing her concern and possibly sadness. "I... I talked to some psychiatric doctors in the area." To this, her smile became a tight line. So he hurried on. "And... Well... They told me... You know, since I was the one that came and like saved you or whatever..." He now looked away from her, blushing bright red. _I "saved" her? I "saved" her? Now she's going to think I see her as helpless. Ugh just spit it out! _He harshly mentally retorted. "They said that, since it was, like a really stressful situation... You might start to form kind of a 'tunnel vision'. It means you only see one thing and then you really start to focus on that one thing. One might call it obsession, were it an inanimate object, but... The doctors said it could, in terms of people, be called love." He blushed tremendously and looked at his feet. They stood there for a long time, and, much to his surprise, when he looked up, Rosemary was blushing even redder than he. She tightened her grip on his arm and laid her head on his shoulder. "R-rosy?" He asked, blushing such a bright red, he thought he'd explode.

"Yes, Austin... I think your doctor friends might be right." She lifted her head from his shoulder and stared into his eyes.

And, without even a second to think about it, Austin crushed his lips against hers. At first it was a hard, powerful kiss, but soon, they both relaxed into it and it became much more enjoyable. Austin wrapped his free arm around Rosemary, whom was still hugging his other. It was a delicately beautiful scene. And neither of them wanted it to end any time soon...

The Next Day: Morning

(Day of The Accident)

Rosemary woke from her wonderful dream to find Austin camped out on the floor of her bedroom. She sat up slowly and examined him as he soundly slept. Sun-kissed skin covering tight muscles, a mop of blond tangles resting over those irresistible blue eyes. Oh, and that smile! It could make your heart stop in one blow. And now, all of these things, were Rosemary's just as she was his. Last night, as they held each other on the couch in front of a horribly romantic remake of Romeo and Juliet, Austin had asked her to be his and in turn for him to be hers. Of course, Rosemary wouldn't have been able to resist had she tried. For the rest of the movie, he whispered quotes from Shakespeare into her ear with a hushed, romantic voice. By the end of the night, she'd fallen asleep, wrapped in his arms, and he must have carried her up to her bed. Now, she gazed down at him, a thin smile painting her features.

He suddenly began to stir from his slumber and she sat Indian-style on her bed. He eventually rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up. After a moment of recognition, he stood and pulled Rosemary back onto the bed, laying beside her. He kissed her softly and wrapped his arm around her. She smiled at him and kissed him on the nose in her adorable way. He blushed a little and smiled widely at her.

"Good morning, love." Austin said with a fake British accent. This received a few hearty giggles from Rosemary.

"And a good morning to you, love." Rosemary said back in a slightly less authentic British accent. It ended up sounding more Australian than anything. They both laughed at this.

Austin wrapped his arm around Rosemary's waist and pulled them closer together. Their bodies touched and he lightly kissed her lips, playfully nibbling at one. She kissed him back and closed her eyes. She slowly drifted back to sleep with her arms wrapped tightly around Austin's neck. She would have never thought this day would come... But it was only the beginning...

Later That Day

(Day of The Accident)

Rosemary's uncle had asked her to go to town and fetch some ingredients for dinner. When Austin heard of her trip to town, he offered to go with her, but she'd declined, telling him that she could manage on her own. She had flashed one of her reassuring smiles, and he'd let her go. She needed a little time alone anyways. She felt like she'd been suffocated the past few days. Suddenly she was washed with all of this love from Austin, and then her uncle had asked her to pick up her chores around the house, and Michael needed help with his report... It was nice to have even but a few minutes to herself.

She loved Austin dearly. He was wonderful. He'd let her decide if they should take things slow, or jump right into the boyfriend-girlfriend stuff like dates and kissing. It had been an easy decision for Rosemary. She'd been daydreaming of doing that kind of stuff for nearly two weeks now! And so she'd readily accepted his offer and they'd jumped into the scene like they'd been there all along. Nothing much really changed, except he constantly told her how much he loved her, and they kissed quite a bit. She hadn't realized that she was quite so in love with the boy next door.

And so, caught up in her thoughts Rosemary was, as she walked down the sidewalk. She peered down at the list of items her uncle had given her to buy. _Eggs, milk, cream, butter, celery, lettuce, tomato, tortillas, double AA batteries, paper towel, _and _band aids._ Rosemary mentally read off of the list. A strange list for sure, but her uncle was quite the strange guy.

The grocery store was only a few blocks away from the Park's house, but, in an idea to try and avoid the large crowd that was sure to be swarmed on the main street, Rosemary took a few of the back roads she'd learned of as a kid. It was the long way to the store, sure, but it was also the fastest way to avoid questions she wouldn't have the answers to.

She carried herself quickly down the back roads but soon, dreadfully, had to return to the main road to get to the market. She passed several people and a few of them smiled at her or tried to talk to her. She just couldn't seem to bring herself to stop and chat with anyone. It was too painful. Everyone always asked the same question, _Are you feeling any better? _And at this point, she truly wasn't sure.

Her memory-loss had continued to get worse and worse. Austin helped as much as he could and her uncle and Michael tried to help as well but it wasn't exactly easy to just force yourself to remember things like your name and your locker combination. It was not only frustrating but more than slightly humiliating to a point.

Rosemary, so caught up in her thoughts, began to forget that she was walking down the busiest street in Cherry Wood. She went to cross a street without looking both ways, and suddenly... Everything went black...

{PART TWO: THE JOB, coming soon!}


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